Hearing of petitions on The Kerala Story 2 posted for Thursday

While hearing their pleas on Wednesday, a Bench of Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas observed none knew what was there in the movie. Moreover, the filmmakers were not keen on screening the movie (for the court to view – a demand the court raised on Tuesday), the court said.

The petitioners alleged that during the film’s promotion in Delhi, none of the 37 women shown as victims of ‘forced conversion’ was from Kerala. Still, Kerala was mentioned in the title, while a teaser of an initial film by the name referred to 32,000 women from the State being trafficked for conversion.

It appears that the teaser and trailer are portraying whatever they cannot show in theatres. On its part, the CBFC – as a statutory authority, must remember that it is duty bound to ensure that the title of a film is not misleading or offensive, since these could trigger law and order problems. Ultimately, the screening of the film could result in people hailing from Kerala facing discrimination and their reputation tarnished, based on their ‘place of birth,’ they said.

Moreover, the right to free speech does not entitle anyone to denigrate any community. The mention of ‘Kerala’ in the title and also in the movie The Kerala Story released in 2025 are stereotypical references aimed at scandalising people of the State that is known for communal harmony, the petitioners said.

Rebutting these arguments, the filmmakers contended that films could be uploaded on social media, even without censor certificate. The producer of the film has in the meantime filed an affidavit before the court stating that the pleas opposing the film’s release were “premature, misconceived and not maintainable.”

Its producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah said the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) was “the sole expert authority” under the Cinematograph Act, 1952, to examine films in their entirety and certify them for public exhibition. The exhibition of a certified film cannot be restrained on the basis of a two-minute teaser alone, without examining the complete film that is slated to be released across India as well as overseas.

In addition, the qualifier ‘Goes Beyond’ in the film’s name was a deliberate and conspicuous textual signal, that the film’s narrative extended beyond the geography of Kerala.